Courthouse parking deck repairs looming in future

Davidson County officials are expected to receive bids in coming weeks on what's estimated at nearly $300,000 in repair work to the courthouse parking deck.

BY NASH DUNNThe Dispatch

Davidson County officials are expected to receive bids in coming weeks on what's estimated at nearly $300,000 in repair work to the courthouse parking deck.It's still unclear if the deck will close at any time when construction actually begins, but the work should be completed by the end of the year, said Dwayne Childress, Davidson County's support services director.County officials closed the deck for about a week last October after maintenance staff discovered a crack during a routine inspection. No immediate safety issues were found.The deck, located on East Second Street adjacent to the Davidson County Courthouse, is open, but two parking spaces are blocked off until the repair work is completed.Davidson County commissioners gave the OK last week for staff to open the bid process on the repairs. The work will include replacing and caulking all non-structural cracks, deviations and joints, in addition to removing and replacing about 6,500 linear feet of the deck's pre-stressed joints, according to the park's request for proposals.Work will also include blocking water intrusion points, installing new water drains and pressure washing and repainting the entire deck structure.Childress said parking decks, in general, are open to the elements of nature and the weather and must be maintained."When water comes into the parking deck, it comes in to all the metal parts that hold that thing together," Childress said. "You just have to keep on top of it. We are keeping on top of it."The deck, which was built in 1998, had one issue about a year ago when small pieces of concrete fell from one of its levels on a vehicle, Davidson County Manager Robert Hyatt told The Dispatch in a previous interview.Based off of several contractors' reviews of the project, Childress said the repairs will likely cost about $280,000, which does not include contingency funds for unknown issues found during construction.Once bids are received in coming weeks, commissioners are expected to award the project in mid-August.Childress said staff will not be able to determine how long, or if, the deck will close during construction until the project is awarded."We are very acutely aware of that parking deck being used as much as it is," Childress said.Nash Dunn can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 227, or at nash.dunn@the-dispatch.com.